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Taliban secures pragmatic global alliances without formal recognition

August 21, 2026

By Hamidullah Mohammad Shah

Al Jazeera
Published On 20 Aug 2026
Kabul expands trade and security partnerships across the region despite the ongoing lack of full international legitimacy.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has successfully expanded its ties in security, trade, energy, and transport with various countries, five years after returning to power in Afghanistan almost as an international pariah.

While Russia became the first country to officially recognise the Afghan government in July 2025, the majority of the international community continues to withhold full political recognition, according to diplomatic sources and political experts.

Still, despite the lack of formal global recognition, the government in Kabul has actively integrated itself into the regional diplomatic landscape – and its relations with multiple countries are only growing.

Expanding diplomatic footprint

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told Al Jazeera that Kabul is “currently dealing with more than 40 diplomatic missions, including embassies and consulates in various countries, in addition to dozens of foreign missions and organisations working in Kabul”.

China has emerged as one of the Taliban’s most prominent partners, managing its embassy in Kabul and cooperating closely on security and investment.

The partnership is heavily anchored in mining, particularly the Logar copper mine project, which a Chinese company secured under a 2008 contract with a declared investment of nearly $3.4bn.

In January 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping formally accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to Beijing, even though China does not officially recognise the current government in Kabul.

Regional trade and tensions

Relations with neighbouring Pakistan represent the most complex dynamic for the Taliban. For decades, Pakistan was widely viewed as a key patron and ally of the Afghan Taliban, helping arm, finance and shelter leaders of the movement.

But relations have frayed dramatically since the Taliban returned to power, especially over Pakistan’s claims – which Kabul rejects – that Afghanistan is offering shelter and support to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) armed group. The TTP is behind many of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan in recent years.

Kabul has increasingly used trade and border crossings as leverage, diversifying its trade routes through Iran and Central Asia to reduce reliance on Pakistani ports.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan is actively building economic ties with the Taliban, signing trade agreements in 2026 worth approximately $520m.

A proposed railway project linking Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan aims to give Central Asian countries access to the Arabian Sea.

Turkmenistan is similarly engaging with Kabul through the multibillion-dollar TAPI gas pipeline project, which includes a 735km (457-mile) stretch inside Afghanistan. The Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline project is on the whole on hold, though, because of tensions between India and Pakistan, and now between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Security expert Abdul Jalil Amini told Al Jazeera that anxiety over the ISIL (ISIS) group represents a “more pressing motive” for Russia and Central Asian states to cooperate with the Taliban.

Amini noted that these countries believe the Taliban is capable of controlling shared borders and has succeeded in maintaining a degree of security and stability.

Balancing regional powers

Iran and India are also carefully navigating their interests in the country. Tehran maintains extensive relations in trade and energy, offering the Chabahar port as an alternative route for Kabul, despite ongoing friction over the sharing of the Helmand River waters.

Meanwhile, New Delhi is gradually rebuilding its ties to counter Pakistani and Chinese influence. Farid Mamundzay, the former Afghan ambassador to India, told Al Jazeera that the Taliban operates a “pragmatic policy through which it seeks to maintain balanced relations with various powers to serve its interests”.

Gulf states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have maintained their diplomatic presence in Kabul, though their engagement remains limited compared with Central Asian nations.

Ahmed Karimi, a professor of international relations at Kabul University, told Al Jazeera that the stance of Saudi Arabia and the UAE is “more conservative” this time, settling for merely accepting diplomats from the movement.

Western security coordination

Western nations continue to communicate with the Kabul government primarily over security, counterterrorism, migration, and humanitarian aid, though issues surrounding women’s rights and governance remain major obstacles to formal recognition.

Strategic relations expert Najib al-Kuzi told Al Jazeera that the relationship between Washington and Kabul “did not stop since the American withdrawal, but they were largely confined to the security and intelligence fields”.

European countries also maintain working relations, with the European Union mission continuing its operations from Kabul.

Taliban secures pragmatic global alliances without formal recognition
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WFP Says Only 12% of Funding Available as Child Hunger Worsens in Afghanistan

August 21, 2026
Khaama Press
TOPSHOT – A child suffering from malnutrition receives treatment at the Mirwais hospital in Kandahar on September 27, 2021. – At an overcrowded hospital in Kandahar, the few remaining doctors and nurses try urgently to treat skeletal babies and malnourished children packed side by side on beds. (Photo by Bulent KILIC / AFP) (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that severe funding shortages are putting the lives of malnourished children in Afghanistan at increasing risk, with the agency currently holding only 12% of the funding it needs for its operations in the country.

John Ayliffe, WFP’s representative in Afghanistan, said children suffering from acute malnutrition were already dying as food assistance programmes face major reductions because of a lack of international funding.

“Children in Afghanistan are now dying as a result of aid cuts,” Ayliffe said, warning that the number of child deaths could increase in the coming months if additional funding is not secured.

The warning comes as Afghanistan faces a worsening humanitarian situation, with millions of people struggling to meet basic food needs. WFP has said funding shortages are forcing it and its partners to scale back life-saving food and nutrition programmes at a time when demand for assistance remains high.

Recent WFP figures cited by Reuters show that six out of seven malnourished children and mothers in need are being turned away from treatment because of severe funding shortages. Child wasting has reached critical levels in one-third of Afghanistan’s provinces, while children under two account for about 80% of the most severe cases.

The crisis has been compounded by rising food prices, economic hardship and the return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries. Reuters reported that nearly 14 million Afghans are facing acute hunger, while food prices have increased significantly in some areas.

WFP has warned that the combination of reduced humanitarian funding and growing needs is leaving health and nutrition services unable to reach many vulnerable families. The agency has called for urgent international funding to prevent further deterioration.

The funding crisis comes after years of dependence on international humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, where widespread poverty, weak public services, economic pressures and repeated natural disasters continue to leave millions vulnerable to food insecurity.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that without sustained international support, reductions in food and nutrition assistance could reverse gains made in preventing and treating child malnutrition and leave more families without access to basic support.

WFP Says Only 12% of Funding Available as Child Hunger Worsens in Afghanistan
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US weighs third-country resettlement for more than 1,000 Afghans stranded in Qatar

August 20, 2026
Tolo News

More than 1,000 Afghans evacuated to Qatar in 2021 remain stranded as Washington explores third-country options for their long-term resettlement.

More than 1,000 Afghans evacuated to Qatar following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 remain stranded at Camp As Sayliyah, with their prospects for resettlement in the United States increasingly uncertain. The group includes Afghans who fled the country during the final days of the U.S. military withdrawal and some who had supported American forces. Many have spent years waiting for decisions on their future, according to NPR.

The United States is now negotiating with other countries over possible resettlement options for the Afghans, NPR reported. The U.S. State Department said relocating them to a third country could provide a safe alternative outside Afghanistan, while also addressing Washington’s security concerns.

Earlier Reuters reporting said the United States had discussed resettling about 1,100 Afghans from Qatar in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although officials did not confirm at the time that an agreement had been reached.

The uncertainty has left many of the evacuees facing an unclear future after years of waiting. The U.S. State Department has said the Afghans currently at the camp do not have a viable pathway to the United States and that it is exploring voluntary third-country resettlement options.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has previously emerged as a possible destination. Reuters reported in April that Washington was in talks with Kinshasa over the possible relocation of the Afghan group, while advocacy organisations raised concerns about sending Afghans to a country facing its own security and humanitarian challenges.

The issue has also drawn criticism from U.S. veterans and lawmakers who argue that Washington has a responsibility to protect Afghans who worked alongside American troops. Republican Congressman and retired brigadier general Don Bacon has described the U.S. obligation to those allies as a moral one, saying commitments made to them should be honoured.

Conditions at Camp As Sayliyah have also become more difficult amid regional conflict. Afghans and their supporters have reported missile activity and falling debris near the facility, adding security concerns to the uncertainty surrounding their long-delayed resettlement.

The camp has been used as a major U.S. processing and transit facility for Afghans evacuated after the Taliban takeover. Its future has been uncertain as Washington has sought to reduce the number of Afghans remaining there and identify alternative destinations.

US weighs third-country resettlement for more than 1,000 Afghans stranded in Qatar
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Hanafi: Afghanistan’s Sovereignty, Security Established; UN Seat Our Right

August 20, 2026
TOLOnews
18 AUGUST 2026

So far, no country has recognized the Islamic Emirate for the purpose of taking Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, Administrative Deputy Prime Minister, told TOLOnews that with security ensured and poppy cultivation and drug trafficking brought to an end in Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate has the right to have its representative at the United Nations.

Referring to Afghanistan’s security and political situation, Hanafi said the country has an established government and that Afghan territory is not being used to threaten the security of other countries.

Abdul Salam Hanafi said: “There is a functioning government in Afghanistan, security has been ensured, and narcotics have been eliminated. Afghan territory is not being used against the security of others. Therefore, it is the undeniable right of the Afghan people to have a representative at the United Nations. This is our right.”

Maiwand Jurrat, a political analyst, said: “Countries, led by the United States, that have influence at the United Nations have exerted pressure, and as a result, the UN seat has not yet been handed over to a representative of the Islamic Emirate.”

In another part of his remarks, the Administrative Deputy Prime Minister rejected reports about restrictions on women’s employment in Afghanistan.

He said women are working in the healthcare and education sectors, as well as in a number of government institutions, while observing Islamic hijab.

Hanafi added: “There is propaganda outside the country claiming that women do not work here. You know that in our hospitals and clinics, thousands of our sisters work as doctors and nurses. In the education sector, thousands of female teachers are engaged in teaching, and women are also working in passport offices, national ID departments, the police and various other departments while observing Islamic hijab.”

Tafsir Siyahposh, a women’s rights activist, said: “We cannot under any circumstances ignore half of society. For more than four years, our future has remained uncertain, and we have been living in uncertainty. We Afghan women call on the Islamic Emirate to pay attention to this issue.”

Earlier, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said that decisions regarding the recognition of governments and Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations fall within the authority of UN member states, not the organization itself.

He added that, so far, no country has recognized the Islamic Emirate for the purpose of taking Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations, and there is no process underway among member states in this regard.

Hanafi: Afghanistan’s Sovereignty, Security Established; UN Seat Our Right
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ILO: Afghanistan Has Second-Lowest Female Labour Participation Rate

August 20, 2026
Ebadullah Ebadi
Journalist (Web Editor)
Tolo News
18 AUGUST 2026

According to the ILO report, employment reached around 8.5 million in 2026, an increase of about 14% compared with 2022.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) says that five years after the Islamic Emirate’s takeover of Afghanistan, the gender disparities in the country’s labour market has widened, with women largely excluded from economic activity.

According to the ILO report, employment reached around 8.5 million in 2026, an increase of about 14% compared with 2022. However, employment growth has not kept pace with population growth.

The organization said employment growth has been concentrated entirely among men, with male employment increasing by around 22% compared with 2020. In contrast, female employment has declined sharply, and Afghanistan now has the second-lowest female labour force participation rate in the world.

The report states: “Overall employment is estimated to have increased by 14 per cent from its 2022 low, reaching nearly 8.5 million in 2026. However, employment growth has not kept pace with the expanding population. The employment-to-population ratio is estimated at 32.5 per cent, more than four percentage points below its 2020 level.”

The report also says that the large-scale return of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan has placed additional pressure on the labour market and livelihood opportunities.

According to the organization, more than 70% of Afghanistan’s workers are employed in sectors assessed as having at least medium exposure to rising energy costs and inflationary pressures resulting from the Middle East crisis.

“Afghanistan cannot build a resilient labour market while such a large share of its population remains excluded from economic activity,” said Tite Habiyakare, Senior Coordinator and Head of the ILO Office for Afghanistan. “Expanding women’s access to productive employment, while creating opportunities for returnees, young people and other vulnerable workers, is essential for strengthening livelihoods and supporting more inclusive economic development.”

The ILO emphasized that expanding employment opportunities for women, young people, returnees and other vulnerable groups is essential for inclusive economic development in Afghanistan.

ILO: Afghanistan Has Second-Lowest Female Labour Participation Rate
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Third Anglo-Afghan War: How Did Afghanistan Gain Independence?

August 20, 2026
TOLOnews
TV Network
19 August 2026

The military forces of British India were mobilized, and Jalalabad and Kabul were subsequently bombed.

On 12 Saur 1298, a decisive battle against Britain began from the provinces of Nangarhar, Paktia and Kandahar. Although the king’s soldiers at the time had limited military equipment, their desire for freedom and the people’s determination to break free from British influence gave them a force greater than weapons.

The Afghan army had only 50,000 soldiers and counted on the support of 80,000 irregular tribal fighters in the border areas between Afghanistan and British India.

Khalil Ahmad Nadem, a political analyst, said: “The people of Afghanistan are both Muslims and patriots. With the resources available to them and their motivation for freedom, they stood against the foreigners.”

World War I had ended, and King Amanullah, relying on the will of the people, set out to secure Afghanistan’s freedom. Three days after the fighting began, on 15 Saur, Britain also declared war on Afghanistan.

The military forces of British India were mobilized, and Jalalabad and Kabul were subsequently bombed.

The war between Afghanistan and Britain lasted nearly a month. Also known as the War of Independence, it was the last major battle between Afghanistan and Britain at the time—a conflict that ultimately moved to the diplomatic table.

On 12 Jawza 1298, a ceasefire was proposed, and an Afghan delegation led by Ali Ahmad Khan and a British delegation represented by Hamilton Grant entered negotiations in Rawalpindi.

After weeks of negotiations, the Treaty of Rawalpindi was signed on 17 Asad 1298, marking an important step toward Afghanistan’s independence.

Sayed Ebadullah Sadiq, a political analyst, said: “The British objective, first, was to occupy Afghanistan. Their second objective was to use Afghanistan’s resources and benefit from the country’s geopolitical position.”

But this was not the end of the process. On 1 Qaws 1300, another agreement was signed between Afghanistan and Britain in Kabul, consolidating Afghanistan’s internal and external independence and strengthening its position as an independent country in international relations. Britain also recognized Afghanistan’s independence.

Nearly 1,000 Afghan soldiers and 236 British soldiers were killed in the war, while thousands of soldiers on both sides were wounded.

Third Anglo-Afghan War: How Did Afghanistan Gain Independence?
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Afghanistan-India Ties Enter New Phase Amid Growing Diplomatic Engagement

August 20, 2026
TOLOnews
 TV Network
19 August 2026

Jaiswal says relations between New Delhi and Kabul have a long history and that engagement between the two sides, particularly over the past year, has increased.

Relations between Afghanistan and India have entered a new phase over the past year, with increased exchanges of officials between the two countries and expanding diplomatic engagement.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, says relations between New Delhi and Kabul have a long history and that engagement between the two sides, particularly over the past year, has increased.

Jaiswal told a news conference that during this period, a number of Islamic Emirate officials have traveled to India, while New Delhi has also continued its engagement with Kabul.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said: “As you know, India and Afghanistan have very longstanding ties. Over the past few months, particularly in the last year, we have witnessed rapid growth and expansion in these relations. We have seen several delegations from Afghan ministries visit India. At the same time, they have also assisted us through development cooperation initiatives.”

According to the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, India upgraded its technical mission in Kabul to an embassy in Mizan 1404, and the head of the mission was appointed as chargé d’affaires.

He emphasized that India’s engagement with the Islamic Emirate is focused on humanitarian assistance and development cooperation with Afghanistan.

Momin Khan Saadat, a political analyst, said: “It is a need of the time for relations between Afghanistan and India to expand and develop, whether in the health, economic, political or development sectors.”

Relations between the two countries improved following the visit of Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate, to New Delhi and his meetings with Indian officials. Since then, officials and ministers from various ministries, including the ministries of Industry and Commerce, Public Health, and Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, have traveled to India.

Afghanistan-India Ties Enter New Phase Amid Growing Diplomatic Engagement
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Islamic Emirate’s Diplomatic Ties Extend to 103 Countries and Organizations

August 20, 2026
 TOLOnews
TV Network
20 Aug 2026

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said Afghanistan has good and significant relations with Islamic, Arab, and regional countries.

Findings from a new study by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy show that the Islamic Emirate had a total of 3,651 diplomatic engagements with 103 countries and international organizations from 24 Asad 1400 to 24 Asad 1405.

According to the study, Kabul expanded its ties and contacts with neighboring countries and several regional powers during this period, with Iran, China, Türkiye, Qatar, Uzbekistan, and India among the Islamic Emirate’s most important diplomatic partners.

Hanif Khan Karokhel, a political analyst, said: “This is what matters to us because Afghanistan needs its neighboring countries, and they need Afghanistan. Therefore, without a doubt, relations with countries in the region are very important.”

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said Afghanistan has good and significant relations with Islamic, Arab, and regional countries.

He added that Kabul also sees no obstacle to expanding diplomatic relations with Western countries and those that were previously involved in the war in Afghanistan.

Mujahid called on Western countries to change their policies toward Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, added: “Afghanistan has good relations with countries, particularly Islamic, Arab, and regional countries, and these ties are tangible. We also have no obstacle to establishing diplomatic relations with other countries. We want good relations with Western countries and those that were once involved in the war in Afghanistan as well. Wartime policies should shift in a positive direction. We share common interests with regional, Islamic, and neighboring countries, and Afghanistan seeks the best possible relations with all of them and is working to make these relations more trust-based.”

Reza Mobaligh, an international relations analyst, said: “At the international relations level, the prevailing view is that until fundamental issues with major powers are resolved, issues with surrounding and smaller countries cannot be fully resolved either, because global politics, the economy, and other major international issues ultimately remain, in one form or another, under the influence of major powers.”

Earlier, the Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that 40 Afghan diplomatic missions are currently active in various countries, while representatives of more than 20 countries are present in Kabul.

Islamic Emirate’s Diplomatic Ties Extend to 103 Countries and Organizations
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Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers release 2 U.N. staff members more than a week after detaining them

August 20, 2026

By ELENA BECATOROS

Associated Press
August 20, 2026

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have released two United Nations staff members who they detained more than a week ago, the U.N. said Thursday, adding that the reason for the two men’s detention remains unclear.

The arrests were the latest in a series of detentions by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities. Last week, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said six staff members of a local organization working on women’s and children’s rights had been “forcibly disappeared” for more than a month.

“For us, we’re just delighted that they’ve been released, they’re in good health, and they face apparently no more judicial legal issues,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said its two employees, who were detained in the western city of Herat on Aug. 9, were released Thursday morning and appeared to be in good health.

“UNAMA has not been formally notified of the reasons for their arrest and detention and continues to follow up with the de facto authorities,” the U.N. said in a statement, adding that it understood that the charges against the two had been dropped.

It said the organization was also following up “to ensure respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, as well as the safety, security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel throughout the country.”

Afghan authorities did not immediately comment on the U.N. staff members’ release.

The U.N. mission’s mandate from the U.N. Security Council includes promoting and supporting humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, promoting human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance and economic stability.

On Aug. 12, Human Rights Watch said six senior members from the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation were detained on July 18 after they were told to come to their office to retrieve laptops and phones confiscated during a raid on the organization’s offices about a month earlier.

It said authorities had not provided any information on the staffers’ whereabouts, and called for them to be allowed visits by family members and lawyers.

The six were still in custody on Thursday, HRW said.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war.

Shortly after, they barred girls from education beyond primary school and banned women from nearly all employment, effectively excluding women and girls from public life. They have also effectively condoned child marriage and have made domestic violence punishable only in cases in which a woman has suffered visible injuries or broken bones.

In June, at least 30 women were arrested in Herat for alleged infringements of the country’s draconian dress code for women, sparking a rare protest in the city which Taliban police violently suppressed, leaving at least one person dead.

 

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers release 2 U.N. staff members more than a week after detaining them
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OAS warns Haiti needs help as it prepares to hold elections for the first time since 2016

August 20, 2026
Washington Post
Associated Press
August 19. 2026
The secretary general of the Organization of American States says that Haiti needs help fighting gangs and seizing back territory as it prepares to hold general elections for the first time in more than a decade

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Albert Ramdin, secretary general of the Organization of American States, said Wednesday during a trip to Haiti that the country needs help fighting gangs and seizing back territory as it prepares to hold general elections for the first time in more than a decade.

Ramdin spoke as he concluded a trip to the troubled Caribbean country, where he met with the prime minister and other officials.

He said the new U.N.-backed gang suppression force needs more personnel, equipment and funding.

“The efforts of the (force) are essential to improving security and public safety, and to creating the conditions for a safe electoral process,” he said. “Progress must be visible and measurable as soon as possible.”

He also called on Haiti to step up registration and identification of voters ahead of the Dec. 13 general elections. Haiti hasn’t had a president since Jovenel Moïse was killed at his private residence in July 2021. Since then, gang violence has only surged, displacing a record 1.5 million people.

Ramdin promised to keep “mobilizing political, technical and financial support” for the Caribbean country.

He said the OAS will work with the Pan American Health Organization to build trauma centers to treat wounded Haitian police officers as they continue to push back against gangs that control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and swaths of land beyond the capital.

Ramdin said he also plans to set up a delegation of business leaders to talk about potential investment projects in Haiti, where poverty, hunger and unemployment are deepening.

“Haiti is at a decisive point,” he said. “The future of Haiti belongs first and foremost to the Haitian people. But the international community also has responsibilities.”

OAS warns Haiti needs help as it prepares to hold elections for the first time since 2016
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